Measured-service telephone system



March 25, 1924; 11,487,888

R G. RICHARDSQN MEASURED SERVICE TELEPHONE SYSTEM A Filed Nov. 15, 1919 .Inuanlur BBL-[nay Ezfimhardsun Patented ar. 25, 19234.

ltd-7,833

RODNEY c. nrcnnanson, or cnicneo, iiirinors, assrenoa r0 AUTOMATIC iatrogenic COMPANY, oncnicacoitmnois, A CORPORATION or rumors.

MEASU BED-SERVICE TELEPHONE SYSLEEINT.

Application filed November 15, 1919. Faerial No. 338,378.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RODNEY G. RICHARD- soN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Measured-Service Telephone Systems. p

My invention relates in general to meas- ,ured service telephone systems, but more particularly to automatic party line -measured service systems, and the principal ob- .ject of the invention may be stated to be, specifically, the provision of a system wherein each station on a party telephone line is provided with a meter at the exchange, and wherein each meter is adapted to be separately connected for registering calls whenever its associated station is in use. Incidental objects consist in the provision of improved circuit arrangements whereby theforegoing is accomplished as efiiciently aspossible, all of which is described fully in the following specification, and illustrated in the aocompanying drawing'forming a part thereof. V I

Referring to the drawing the layout of the system shown therein-is as follows; The telephones A and A? are connected in bridge of the line conductors 2 and 3 in the usual manner, the line being what is coinmonly known asa 2 party line. At the exchange the line terminates in the rotary line switch indicated by reference character C, which-is of well known construction, except as modified bymy invention, and which is provided for the purpose of extending the line responsive to the removal of "the receiver at a calling station to a trunk line terminating in an idle selector switch. One such trunk line comprising conductors 41, i3, inclusive, is shown extending to the selector H. Selector switches, as is well known, have the function of extending calling lines to idle connector switches in desired hundreds groups, and there may be only one selector or faplurality in serial relation, in any given connection, depending on the size of the system.

,As shown herein, one of the trunk lines to which the selector H has access extends to the connector I, which is operable to complete connection to any one of a group of 100 lines, one of which is the line extending to station A Line, selector, and connector switches are well known in the art, and since they have nothing especial to do with my invention, most of the circuit details have for simplicitybeen omitted.

The meters or call registers M and M are associated, respectively, with substations A and A and are located at any preferred point in the exchange, as for example in a cabinet, or they may be mounted on the switchboard adjacent to the line switches.

The meters are operated by relays in the selector trunks, such as the relay 29, and selection of the proper meter in accordance with the calling station is accomplished by the relay 5 of the line switch 0, as will now be explained. H

Suppose that the subscriber at station A desires to call the subscriber at station A, in which case it will be necessary to actuate meter M" at the profpertime to register the K call. Upon the removal of the receiver a circuit is completed for relay 5 and the slow acting line relay 6 of line switch C as follows: ground at G, winding of relay 5,

' resting contact of armature 13 and the said armature, line conductor 3, substation A,

line conductor 2, armature 15 and its resting taneously, the former opening the contacts controlled by its armatures 10 and 11, and at its armature 12 shifting the connection of wiper 22 from the winding of meter M to the winding of meter M; while the line relay6 at its armature 9 closes the following circuit for the switching relay 4: ground at G armature 9 and its right hand working contact, lower winding of relay 5, winding of relay 4, and the winding of the motor magnet 7 to battery. At the same time the line relay, by means of its armature 8, connects thetest wiper 23 to the above circuit at a point between the winding of the relay a and the-motor magnet 7. The operation now depends on whether the trunk line with which the wipers of the line switch C are in engagement, is busy or is not busy. If

the trunk line is busy, the test contact 27,

will be grounded, the switching relay 4 will be short-eircuited and prevented from enerizin and the motor ma net 7 which in terrupts its own circuit, will be operated to advance the switch wipers 2124, inclusive,

' operation of the line switch was initiated, its

wipers were in engagement with the trunk line extending to selector H, as shown, and that this trunk line was idle. Under these circumstances no rotation of the switch will take place, owing to the high resistance of the switching relay 4, and the said relay 4 will energize at once, with the result that the line conductors 2 and 3 are disconnected from the windings of relays 6 and 5, respec tively, and are extended by way of armatures 15 and 13, wipers 21 and 24, and conductors 41 and 43 to the selector H. Upon the establishment of connection with selector H, the line and release relays of the selector (not shown but corresponding tore lays 52 and 53 of connector I) are energized in the usual manner to ground the conductor 42, whereby a holding circuit is established for the switching relay 4 of the line switch as follows: grounded release trunk conductor 42, test contact 27, test wiper 23, armature 14 and its working contact, lower winding of relay 5, winding of relay 4, and the winding of the motor magnet 7 to battery. Thus it will be seen that relays 4 and 5 are maintained energized, the latter relay maintaining the connection to meter M so that it can be. operated at the proper time to register the call.

So far the circuits have been described in considerable detail in order to make the invention perfectly clear, but since the re mainder of the equipment to be described in the connection is old this will no longer be necessary. It will suffice to say that the subscriber at station A will now operate his calling device in accordance with the digits in the number assigned to station A, whereupon the selector H and a connector switch, assumed to be the connector I, are operated to complete the desired connection and signal the called subscriber.

Upon the removal of the receiver the back bridge relay 51 of the connector is energized, this relay having the well known function of reversing the direction of our rent flow in the calling line. This brings us to the consideration of the means for actuating the meter 1 to register the call. The trunk line extending to selector H is provided with an electro-polarized relay 29 which has a polarizing winding of high resistance and few turns through which current flows from the grounded release trunk conductor 42 while the trunk is in use. This winding and the right hand winding, which is in series with the conductor 43, are in opposition during the establishment of the connection and until the called subscriber answers, relay 29 therefore remaining inoperative. When the called man answers and current is reversed in the calling line, the windings of relay 29 assist each other and the said relay is operated, with the result that at armature 31 the right hand winding is short-'circuitedtso as notto inmagnet thereupon attracts its armature,

and upon the release of the connection, which takes place in the usual manner when the receiver is replaced at station A, the armature is retracted to advance the number wheels to register the call. I y

It will now be explained how the meter M is operatedto register a call initiated from the station A Although station ,A is an ordinary automatic substation with no special equipment the other station on the line, station. A must be provided with means for preventing the energization of relay 5 of-line switch C when the receiver is removed. This means consists of anarrangement of switch hook springs whereby the line conductor 2 is grounded as the switch hook starts to rise and before the circuit is completed through the substation, the connection to ground being broken after the line circuithas been completed and just before the switch hook has reached its uppermost position. p

Suppose now that the subscriber at station A desires to make a call. receiver is removed a circuitis completed for line relay 6 ofthe line switch C as fol- When' the lows: ground at G contact springs 55' and 3 g 56, switch hook, line conductor v2, armature 15 and its resting, contact, and the winding of line relay 6 to battery. Responsive to the closure of the above circuit, line relay 6 energizes as in the former case, when station A was calling, but now since relay 5 is not energized, relay 6 closes a circuit by means of its armature 9 and left hand working contact whichsupplies direct ground to line conductor 3 and thus short circuits the upper winding of relay 5 and prevents it from energizing an instant later when the lines are closed at the telephone and the ground connection is broken. Additionalcircuits causing the operation of the switch to select an idle trunk are closed by line relay 6 as previously described and the operation proceeds as before until the connection is finally completed, relay 5 not being energized in series with the switching relay 4 because its lower winding is short circuited at armature 11. therefore that when the called subscriber answers and the polarized-relay 29 is oper- It will be seen a meter at the exchange normally connected for registering calls from one of the stations on said line, a second'meter for registering calls from the other station, a meter selecting relay for switching the connection from one meter to the other, full metallic and ground return circuits closed at the two stations, respectively, when calling, for controlling'said relay, means at the corresponding station for opening the ground circuit during conversation, and means controlled by the response of the called subscriber for operating the connected meter.

2. In a telephone system, a two party line, a meter at the exchange normally connected for registering calls from one of the stations on said line, a second meter for registering calls from the other'station, a meter selecting relay for switching the connection from one meter to the other, means for energizing said relay over the line when a call is made from one of said stations, a second relay for preventing the operation of said selecting relay, and means for energizing said second relay over the line when a call is made from the other of said stations.

3. In a telephone system, a two party, line, a meter at the exchange normally connected for registering calls from one of the stations on said line, a second meter for registering calls from the other station, a meter selecting relay for switching the connection from one meter to the other, a second relay, means for energizing said relays in series when a call is made from one of said stations, means for energizing said second relay independently when a call is made from the other station, and means controlled by said second relay for preventing the energization of said selecting relay.

1. In a telephone system, a two party line, a meter at the exchange normally connected for registering calls from one of the stations on said line, a second meter for registering calls from the other station, a meter selecting relay for switching the connection from one meter to the other, an individual line relay for said line, means for energizing both relays simultaneonsly when a call is made from one of said stations, means for energizing said line relay independently when a call is made from the other station, and a circuit closed by said line relay when the selecting relay is deenergized for short circuiting the said selecting relay.

5. In a telephone system, a two party line, a meter at the exchange normally connected for registering calls from one of the 'stationson said line, a second meter for reglsterlng calls from the other statlon, a meter selecting relay for switching the connection from one'meter to the other, means for energizing said relay over the line when a call is' madefrom one of the stations on said line, means for temporarily grounding one side of the line when the call is made from theother station, and means responsive to said grounding for preventing the operation of said relay.

'6. In a telephone system, a two party line, a meter at the exchange normally connected for registering calls from one of the stations on said line, a second meter for registering calls from the other station, a meter selecting relay for switching the connection from one meter to the other, a rotary step-by-step "switch'for'extending said line when calling,

means for energizing said relay when the call is made from one of said stations, and means for short'circuiting the windings of said relay to prevent its operation when the call is made from the other station.

7. In a telephone system, a two party line, a meter at the exchange normally connected for registering calls from one of the stations on said line, a second meter for registering calls from the other station, a meter selecting relay for switching the connection from one meter to the other, a rotary step by step switch for extending said line when calling, a line relay for said switch connected in series with said selecting relay when the call is made from a particular one of said stations, means for closing a circuit including said line relay only when the call is made from the other one of said stations, and means responsive to a reversal of current for operating the connected meter.

8. In a telephone system, a party line, a meter at the exchange for each station on the line, a rotary step by step trunking switch for extending said line when calling, a relay in said switch controlled over the line when a call is initiated, and circuit connec tions whereby when said relay is short cirouited only one of said meters may be operated, and whereby when said relay is energizgd another of said meters may be operate 9. In a telephone system, a party line, a meter at the exchange for each station on the line, a rotary step-by-step trunking switch for extending said line when calling, a relay in said switch for determining which of said meters is to be actuated, means for energizing said relay when the call is made from one of the stations on said line, and means for preventing the energization of said relay by short circuiting the same when the call is made from another station on said line.

10. In a telephone system, a two-party line, two meters at the exchange for registering calls from said line, a relay for deteris made from the other station on said line.

11. In a telephone system, a two-party line, two meters at the exchange for registering calls from said line, a relay for determining which of said meters is to be operated, means for energizing said relay when a call is made from one of the stations, a holding circuit for maintaining said relay operated, a cut off relay included in said holding circuit in series with said first relay,

and means for preventing the operation of said meter selecting relay when a call is made from the other station.

12. In a telephone system, a two-party relay in series with the meterselecting relay when a call is made from one ofthe stations, a holding circuit for said selecting relay in series with said cut off relay, means for opcrating said line relay alone when a call is 7 made from the other station on said line, and means controlled by said line relay when operated alone forpreventing said'selecting relay from energizing over said holding circuit.

Signed by me at Chicago, Cook County, State of Illinois, this 12th day of November, 1919.

RODNEY G. RICHARDSON. 

